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Gatwick marks five years of growth

Gatwick airport has reported its 60th consecutive month of growth in February, with 3 million passengers using the hub in the month.

Traffic was up 0.7 per cent on February 2017, driven by growth in the airport’s long-haul routes, which increased by 16.7 per cent. This also helped drive a 37.2 per cent growth in cargo volume.

Gatwick’s routes to Asia performed well, with Hong Kong up 74.4 per cent and Tianjin up 12.9 per cent year-on-year. Transatlantic routes are proving popular at the airport – passengers travelling to Fort Lauderdale grew 80 per cent, while Oakland and San Francisco were up 67.6 per cent and New York increased by 43.4 per cent.

The traffic statistics have been released as Qatar Airways announced it would launch a double-daily service from Gatwick to Doha from 22 May, and Norwegian said it will increase capacity at the airport through additional frequencies on transatlantic routes and new destinations in Austin and Chicago.

Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick airport, said: “February’s passenger figures are the latest demonstration of Gatwick’s importance as a vital piece of UK infrastructure, providing global connectivity at a time when the country needs it most. We have exciting plans for growth, maximising the use of our existing facilities whilst we also offer the country the prospect of a financeable and deliverable new runway scheme.”